Colleen Kidder studied art history and painting continuously throughout the 1970's in New York and Vermont, attending workshops and classes which nurtured her need to create.
After moving to Boston in the 1980's, Colleen studied textile and jewelry design which led to starting her own business wholesaling her products across New England and New York.
Kidder moved with her husband and two sons to Ipswich, Massachusetts in 1992 and opened "Eliza Gray's Goods," a retail shop where she merchandised home furnishings and antiques as well as her own jewelry designs and paintings.
In 2000, Colleen decided to close her shop and build a studio next to her home so that she could pursue her passion for painting. Her mentor was Cape Ann artist Caleb Stone and she participated in his workshops on Monhegan Island, Maine in June 2001 and June 2002. Kidder traveled with Caleb, and a small group of artists, to Tuscany, Italy in October 2002 to paint the pastoral countryside and olive groves.
Kidder’s work seems to be directed by her strong connection to nature and she is able to transfer these feelings onto her canvases using bold and painterly brushstrokes that capture the mood of a place while evoking a sense of calm and contentment.
Kidder's paintings are on display at the River Gallery in Ipswich.
Friday, June 12 – Sunday, June 14
Art in the Barn
Cox Reservation
83 Eastern Avenue
Essex, MA
Alone at the Beach
12 x 16
Oil
Image at Top of Page
Hidden Away
11 x 14
Oil
Contact Info
Colleen Kidder
Ipswich, MA 01938
Ph: 978.356.1309
Web: www.elizagraysgoods.etsy.com
